OMI

There has been quite a bit of chatter lately in the foodies world about this amazing new place that offers top restaurant quality food in the food court of Chadstone Shopping Centre. Yes, you heard right. The food court. A place where you would generally go for some cheap, fast food, sit down at one of the public tables to gobble it all up and then get up and continue your shopping. But ladies and gentlemen, there has now been a shift in this normality. A stone has been thrown into this peaceful lake of food outlets and it is trying to change how we perceive how food courts should be!

With all this chatter, we were super excited to be heading to OMI, located in the old food court on the ground floor of Chadstone. Keeping in mind that these guys have only been opened for 2 months, they were already getting some great reviews from the foodie community.

Their menu was simple, with only about 10 items to choose from. From reading their menu, their specialty is wagyu beef which they source from renown local suppliers so we had to make sure we ordered one of their wagyu dishes. Their 65 degree sous vide egg, and their flavoured Japanese rice is featured in most of their dishes and it looked aesthetically pleasing!

I ended up ordering the Black Truffle Wagyu which was $15.90 and Davin ordered the Salmon Salted Egg, also $15.90. We ordered the Truffle Fries to share for $6.90, and the Green Tea Creme Brulee which was $4.90. With an iced lemon tea for our drink, our total bill for this dinner came out to be about $40. Now, we don’t always list out prices for each individual dish but I felt that it was important for you to see how very cheap this meal was for the quality of food they were offering! After we placed our orders we were given a buzzer to take away and we sat down at one of the public tables nearby.

The buzzer went off fairly quickly and Davin went off to collect our food. We were shocked at the speed of them preparing and plating up the food! It came out looking just like the photos on the menu! By now I’m sure you’re dying to know the verdict of the food? It. Was. Truly. Amazing. We were in total awe at how good the food was. The wagyu beef was full of flavour and really tender. Davin’s salmon was cooked to absolute perfection and the sauce that came with it was delicious. The 65 degree egg in each of our dishes was also cooked to perfection and oozed out its lovely yolk when broken. Their Japanese rice was so flavoured, and I know I’ve said the word perfection a number of times now but it really was that. Both our dishes were complemented with some edamame beans and pickled vegetables which went really well. The truffle fries were also delicious and completed our meal. So we literally scoffed everything pretty quickly because it was SO good. We were so content after and shared the green tea brulee which was surprisingly also very nice. It had good strong flavours of green tea and wasn’t too sweet which was great for us.

We literally finished everything within about 15 minutes and couldn’t stop talking about how great the food was, and what good value! We’ve been going on for ages about not having many good local Japanese restaurants around, and so I think this is one place we will be visiting very often. When we got up to leave and started walking, one of the staff from OMI saw us, smiled and asked us how the food was. We told her it was really good and thought it was lovely that she asked us! You don’t normally get that type of service at a food court!

So my lovely readers, we encourage you to check this place out because it’s a game changer. And where else can you show up in thongs on a hot day to order such amazing, high quality food for these type of prices? Please, experience it for yourself and check it out!


OMI
Approx $20 AUD per person
Address: Chadstone Shopping Centre (B064)
Phone: 0490 743 219
Website: omigroup.com.au

Omi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant

We were at home watching ‘Steak Revolution’ on Netflix whilst not eating steak! This steak documentary is great by the way, they filmed all around the world discussing and eating different beef. Immersing ourselves in food is what we’re all about, and this documentary made us crave for steak bad! We decided that the next night we were going to get our fix, however we had one little problem. We had overspent a little bit for the week, which meant that we had to find a bang for buck restaurant. This ruled out pretty much all the top steak houses, and this is where Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant came to the rescue.

A restaurant name that’s straight to the point plus numerous good reviews on various sites, gives us nothing but confidence to dine here. The biggest plus of all was without a doubt the exceptionally reasonable steak prices! For example, a 250g porterhouse or scotch fillet is priced below $30. We are literally talking about pub/RSL prices, if not even cheaper. Not to mention that the mainstream steak franchises would easily be more expensive than this. Now none of this would matter if the steaks weren’t any good, but thankfully they are! But first, let’s talk about the entrees..

Helen and I started off with the Australian calamari, stuffed with crab meat chargrilled, served with a potato salad. We followed this up with a chargrilled quail served with wilted spinach, butternut pumpkin and Portabella mushroom. Let me tell you, these entrees were absolutely flawless. I was shocked because I thought I came for steaks. Both the calamari and quail were cooked superbly, paying respect to the produce. The stuffing complemented the calamari, boosting the seafood flavours of the dish. The marinade used on the quail was really special and was a nice break from the Asian flavours which I’ve been used to.

Now for what we came here for, the steaks! I ordered a Goulburn Valley T-Bone steak with aged muscat and mushroom sauce, I believe Helen may have got the special, looks to be a rib eye with burnt butter, garlic and cream sauce. These were some high quality meats with robust flavours. We deliberately didn’t go for the eye fillet this time, in order to try some different cuts. The T-Bone cattle was grass fed and the difference was noticeable. Cooked medium rare, the steak was tender and seared beautifully. If you’re a sauce person, the aged muscat and mushroom sauce was the pick of the two. However you won’t be disappointed enjoying the steak as is.

Did we get our steak fix? You bet we did! We were both stuffed after our steaks, with the waiter acknowledging our incredible eating abilities. To put the nail in the coffin, we even managed to fit in another lemon lime panna cota with cinnamon poached pear! I was very happy with the amount of the bill, considering the amount we ordered. You’d expect to pay at least 30% more at another restaurant of equivalent quality. We’re extremely grateful to have found and dined at Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant. We came here fully focused on eating steak, but after our experience with the calamari, we’re intrigued to try their seafood platter next time!

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant
Approx $50 AUD per person
Address: 116 Birdport St, Albert Park VIC 3206
Phone: +61 3 9690 5155
Website: mediterraneo.com.au

Mediterraneo Charcoal Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Nyala African

One night a couple of our friends called us up to see if we were free to catch up for dinner. We in fact did happen to be free and so our friends left it with us to choose a place. Now this happens quite often these days as we’ve been the ‘go to’ for restaurant recommendations for quite some time and we were fine with that. However on this particular night, with dinner only an hour away we went into this frantic panic mode of ‘where can we take our lovely friends where we also haven’t been’?! This is a predicament we’ve been finding ourselves more often these days. It’s easy to recommend our favourite restaurants that we frequent all the time. But it’s getting harder to find a good restaurant which no one has yet been to.

Anyway we told our friends we would handle it, and after some frantic searches and calls we decided to settle on Nyala African. So Davin and our friends have never been to a proper African restaurant before. Davin has tried African cuisine at a food festival but this would be his first proper dining experience. Our friends have never tried it. However I was lucky to have dined with a friend a number of years ago at an Ethiopian restaurant so had a bit of an idea of the type of food they would serve.

Located in the heart of Fitzroy, the entrance of the restaurant produced a narrow set of stairs which we climbed up to the next floor and opened up into a spacious restaurant. The decor had lots of dark wood and African images scattered throughout. With no air conditioning on a hot day, we sure felt like we were in Africa! The staff were super friendly. And when I say staff, I mean just one person who was managing the whole floor! However he seemed to be really on top of everything and was super friendly and accomodating. He talked us through some of the African beers they had on their specials board so we ordered a couple of them and a bottle of Taylors Cabernet Sauvignon.

The menu was extensive and had so many interesting dishes which I wanted to try. To make things easier for everyone we decided to go with one of the banquets so we could try a bit of everything. There were a few banquets to choose from and we ended up picking the one for $38 per person.

The banquet started with some dips and very thin flat bread which one of our friends described it as similar to flat sheets, which I thought, very true! The dips were Tahini – made from sesame paste, yoghurt, lemon juice and olive oil, Deberja – cooked eggplant with tumeric, coriander cumin, capsicum, garlic and yoghurt, and Lentils – Berbere chili, onion, fresh garlic and spices.

All the dips were yummy but out of the 3 we absolutely loved the lentils dip as it was really flavoured and had a spicy kick to it. We asked if we could have a bit more of the lentils dip because it was so good and he promptly brought out a very generous serving of it.

Then came the Baboutie and Cauliflower dishes. The Baboutie consisted of flavoured minced beef with sultanas and nuts mixed through it. This was a really flavoured and appetising dish! The cauliflower was fried and had a thick, soft layer of batter around it. We found this to be quite plain as there wasn’t really any seasoning and the batter around it had a texture we’ve never had before.

For the mains we had 4 meat dishes served with rice, couscous, salad, vegetables and Injera, traditional Ethiopian bread which has this soft, spongy texture, traditionally made from teff flour.

The meat dishes included the Doro Tibs which consisted of boneless pieces of chicken marinated in herbs and spices, sauteed in mild chili, with Nyala Awazi sauce. This chicken was oh so soft and tender and literally just breaks away from your fork. It actually reminded us of the soft chicken you get from Malaysian restaurants.

We also got the Beg Tibs which had marinated and spiced lamb cubes sauteed with fresh tomato, rosemary and white wine on a sizzling plate. The lamb was super flavoured and we loved it. Then came the two beef dishes, the Domeda, a hearty dish from Gambia, which included beef, peanut butter, potatoes, herbs and spices, and finally the Nyala Special which is a traditional Ethiopian stew with lean boneless beef, fresh ginger, garlic and homemade chili with other spices. Both beef dishes were nice and very spicy! The servings were also very generous and between the 4 of us we couldn’t even finish all the food so we were able to take plenty away for the next day.

For dessert we tried all 3 on the menu which was Sweet Couscous – a Moroccan dessert with slivered almonds, sultanas, icing sugar, unsalted butter and icecream, Tafach Mooz – an East African dessert with layers of bananas, brown sugar, cream cheese and cinnamon, and finally the last dessert was chocolate and vanilla icecream. The desserts overall were probably our least favourite as they didn’t stand out as being very special. We were also so full from the meal we couldn’t really finish them!  We also had some Ethiopian coffee with our dessert which as expected was quite different to our usual lattes, but hey – when in Rome, I mean Africa!

Overall it was a great experience. Particularly if you haven’t tried African cuisine before, I would recommend it if you are ever interested in getting a taste!

Nyala African
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: 356 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Phone: +61 3 9419 9128
Website: Nyla.com.au

Nyala African Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Rewind it back to 6 months ago, I received an SMS from Helen with a picture of a David Blackmore Wagyu grade 9+ steak from Rockpool. The feeling that ran through my body was one of complete utter betrayal! She was supposed to be my life long food partner, and I could not believe that she had gone and enjoyed this steak without me. She was equipped with the knowledge that I had never had this steak from Rockpool before, let alone stepped into the main dining room, but not an ounce of remorse from her! To my surprise, she had made plans to go again with her friend without me. There comes a time in one’s life where you have to put your foot down, and I wasn’t going to let her have this steak without me again!

As I walked into the main dining room, I realised that Rockpool looked a lot more glamorous than the bar area where I normally eat. I had already looked at the menu weeks before this occasion, trying to work out what steak I was going to get. Frustratingly, their menu changes all the time! Their steak menu changes constantly based on availability, but Helen, myself, and her friend all got the David Blackmore Grade 9+ wagyu sirloin. At $125 a pop, it was the best steak on the menu, cream of the crop. Self admittedly, I had never paid this much for a steak in my life, but I’ve eaten David Blackmore steaks before and have never been disappointed. You know it takes something special for Cape Grim steaks to be the cheaper option on a menu, as they are highly regarded in Australia also.

A few cocktails to ‘cleanse’ the palette, then we had a bottle Cab Sav ready for the arrival of our steaks. We ordered a few side dishes to go with it – potato and cabbage gratin, organic carrots, mushrooms, and heirloom tomatoes. My favourite was the potato and cabbage gratin, it’s a bit weird eating potatoes which taste like cabbage, but it works and was damn tasty! My excitement levels rose as soon as I saw the steak placed in front of me. It looked simplistically beautiful. The sirloin was cut into 4 pieces and had a wedge of lemon next to it. We got some horseradish cream and Bearnaise sauce to go with our steaks, but I had always preferred to eat it without sauce. I slid a piece out and saw all the wonderful marbling glistering in the light. I took a bite, and thought to myself ‘I was expecting this steak to be softer’. I probably felt this way because the last Wagyu beef experience I remembered was the Kobe beef in Japan, which was pure melt in your mouth.

Was I a little disappointed from my first bite? Probably. My next bite I decided to focus more on the taste, and it was at that moment I understood why this steak was so good. They say that fat is flavour, and this statement couldn’t be more true when it comes to this steak. The fat around the steak and the marbling was just bursting with flavour! This truly was a special experience. I went through my first two pieces way too fast, it wasn’t until we joked that each piece was worth $30, that I realised I needed to slow it right now! I understood that I had initially done this steak a huge injustice by trying to compare it to the steaks in Japan. The ones in Japan are purely bred for texture, and while you do get wowed by how buttery soft it is, the beef flavours are miles better with this David Blackmore sirloin. It’s hard to not think of the price, because it is a ridiculously expensive piece of meat, but I felt it was worth it.

We all slumped into our chairs after the steaks, floating on cloud nine. Nothing could wipe the grin off our faces, it was a joyous night indeed. We polished off some small desserts, but they were never going to be the star of the show. We all had a great experience at Rockpool, the service was top notch as always. We talked about making this a yearly event in the future, certainly no objections on my part!

Rockpool Bar & Grill
Approx $100 AUD per person
Address: Crown Entertainment Complex 
8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: +61 3 8648 1900
Website: rockpoolbarandgrill.com.au

Rockpool Bar & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Cosi Bar Ristorante

Not too long ago we were in the mood for some Italian and decided to check out Cosi in South Yarra. Ratings for the restaurant were quite high and positive so off we went. Cosi is a fine dining restaurant with a lovely intimate feel. Upon entering you’ll notice the dim lights and white table cloths. Staff were also very friendly and efficiently seated us.

For mains I ordered the Tagliatelle with blue swimmer crab, tomato and smoked butter. This was SO delicious! Oh the flavours from the smoked butter and the generous chunks of crab meat. This was a dish to die for and we would happily order this again. The pasta was also super fresh.

Davin ordered the Spaghetti Marinara with white wine, chilli and garlic. This was also a really nice dish and had generous amounts of prawns and mussels. However we both agreed that my Tagliatelle dish was the winner.

For dessert we decided to share the basil panna cotta with berries and chocolate. We loved this! The panna cotta had the perfect wobbly texture and really tasted like fresh basil. It was an interesting and refreshing dish. I believe they may change the flavour of the panna cotta so it may not be available anymore. However we were so glad to have had the opportunity to try the basil flavoured one.
We thoroughly really enjoyed our experience at Cosi and felt the quality of their food was top notch. We will definitely be back when we feel like some fine dining Italian!

Cosi Bar Ristorante
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 68 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: +61 3 9867 39999
Website: cosirestaurant.com.au

Cosi Bar Ristorante Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Meat Me Souvlakeri

On a Friday night in Oakleigh, Meat Me Souvlakeri is absolutely packed and rocking! They were definitely dominating that night when it came to souvlaki around that area. Although they were packed, they have an abundance of tables and chairs so it didn’t take very long for us to be seated.

For starters we ordered the saganaki which came out super quick and with a wedge of lemon. The saganaki was fried perfectly and was not too salty.

Davin and I both ordered the Gyros Plate with chicken, chips, salad, tzatziki and pita. The plate came out looking delicious! The chicken was super soft and tender. It had this lovely oregano seasoning throughout it which made it just a little more special. It terms of flavour it probably could have done with a bit of salt because it was slightly on the plain side. However some table salt fixed that pretty easily. The chips were really good, super fresh and crisp, and the pita bread was hot and fluffy. I also really liked the tzatziki which was really refreshing. It was a huge plate and they were very generous with the chicken. Davin was able to polish his plate off but I took some leftovers home from mine.

Davin also ordered a Freddo Cappuccino which was really good and took us back to our Greece trip not long ago when that’s all we were drinking during those hot sunny days.

Overall, a great place to check out if you’re in the mood for a meaty dish!

Meat Me Souvlakeri
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 24 Eaton St, Oakleigh VIC 3166
Phone: +61 3 9568 5555
Website: www.meatmesouvlakeri.com.au

Meat Me Souvlakeri Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

D.O.C Pizza & Mozzarella Bar

Davin and I were reminiscing how good the pizzas were in New York the other day which led us to of course have a sudden urge to eat some. Now, we have been hearing about how amazing D.O.C Pizza and Mozzarella Bar is in Carlton but just never got around to visiting them. Given our sudden craving for a good pizza, we thought what better time to check it out than now?

So off we went one very warm night. As soon as we got there we could see how popular it was. It was packed inside and out! We were lucky to be seated inside straight away as we noticed on our way out after our meal that a queue of people was developing outside, waiting to be seated.

Upon entering the first thing that came to mind was that it was a very simple, non-pretentious looking place. The decor was minimalistic, with wooden chairs and tables crammed inside and no paintings on the walls. It was all about the food, and food is what we came for!

I ordered the Pizza DOC which had San Marzano tomato, fresh DOP buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. I’ve always liked my pizzas with minimal toppings. Davin who has always had a weak spot for seafood ordered the Pizza Tiger Prawns which had San Marzano tomato, tiger prawns, mozzarella, endive and fresh chilli. We also ordered a Caprese salad which had heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, black sea salt, pesto and balsamic glaze.

The food came out very quickly, and the pizzas looked amazing when they were placed in front of us. As soon as we took a few bites we both agreed that it was definitely the best pizza we’ve had so far in Melbourne. It didn’t have that special light, crispiness of a base like NYC, but it was pretty damn good! The base was very thin just how we liked it and the toppings were super fresh. Davin’s Tiger Prawn pizza had a generous amount of fresh chilli which gave it a lovely spicy kick and the prawns were top quality.

However we both loved the Pizza DOC just a little bit more because their fresh DOP buffalo mozzarella combined with the simplicity of the other ingredients was out of this world. It was one kick ass pizza!

The Caprese salad was also really good and the heirloom tomatoes were lovely and sweet. We couldn’t get enough of their delicious buffalo mozzarella.

For dessert, we ordered their old school mixed gelati and the flavours really made us nostalgic as it tasted so much like the icecream we had when we were young. Davin also ordered an Affogato which was really good and had the perfect amount of bitterness of the coffee and sweetness of the icecream.

Overall we had a really good experience. The food was great, the staff were super efficient and on the ball, and the pizzas were amazing. We will definitely be coming back when we’re in the mood for some good pizzas.


D.O.C Pizza & Mozzarella Bar
Approx $40 AUD per person
Address: 295 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053
Phone: +61 3 9347 2998
Website: docgroup.net

DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tommy Ruff Fishbar – Mordialloc

Tommy Ruff Fishbar had always been a favourite of ours, and recently my family and I have started eating at their Mordialloc location. They’re located on the busy strip in Mordialloc, and it’s always buzzing here. Even though there’s a lot of car parking available, you may have to occasionally camp for a bit in order to get a spot. Turning off on the smaller side streets, parking is plentiful and generally not too hard to find a spot. The best thing is that the parking is FREE! Considering they’re putting meters everywhere these days, really can’t complain.

Going inside they’ve pretty much kept the same theme from their Elsternwick restaurant. They are really busy here most of the time and the place always feels alive. Whilst this is the case, it’s never too noisy to talk amongst ourselves. They also have an outdoor sitting area available if there’s no tables inside. I rarely opt to eat outside because of the damn flies! However it’s not bad eating outside at Tommy Ruff, I don’t find myself swinging my arms like a mad man.

My dad loves his seafood, but have always complained that he can cook it for a lot cheaper at home. Valid argument I’d say, because eating seafood outside is so damn expensive! The fact that he keeps coming back to Tommy Ruff, shows that these guys are great bang for buck. The staple dishes to get here are the chef’s platter for 2+ and the seafood chowder. We’ve started venturing out to some of their other great dishes. The salmon with soba noodles, Poké bowl and the blue swimmer crab are some of the new dishes we’ve added to our order these days. As usual, all the seafood is fresh and cooked perfectly. I love how the chef platter constantly changes depending on what seafood is available. An example of Tommy Ruff working with their fresh produce and tailoring their platters accordingly.

The service here is fantastic, the waiting staff are on the ball and nothing is too difficult for them. They’re always cheery and smiling with zero attitude, It’s a pleasant place to be eating in. So next time you’re around the area, pay these guys a visit. You can even take away some fish and chips and enjoy it at the beach!

Tommy Ruff Fishbar
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 574A Main Street, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: +61 3 9580 2525

Tommy Ruff Fish Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Matsuzaka

On a Sunday night we decided to look for a local Japanese restaurant. We always struggle to find good Japanese food without having to travel into the city which is really frustrating.  We came across Matsuzaka in Caulfield South which looked promising so off we went!

The restaurant itself looked quite traditional from the outside. Upon entering we realised how spacious it was inside too. There were plenty of wooden tables and chairs, with Japanese inspired paintings featured on the walls, and Japanese music playing in the background.

The menu was quite extensive and had a lot of items to choose from. We felt a bit overwhelmed by the abundance of choices!  We ended up ordering the sushi and sashimi platter to start with which was really good. The sashimi was very fresh and the vinegar rice was done perfectly. We also decided to order a soup each.

I got the Osuiomono soup which had seafood, seaweed and mushroom, and Davin got the Tamago soup with egg and mushroom. Both soups were really nice and flavoured, however we both agreed we liked the Tamago soup more as it was more flavoured and the egg made it more special.

We also ordered the Kanimushi which were their original steamed crab dumplings. This was a bit disappointing. It tasted really mushy, and more like those fish balls you normally get in hot pot. It definitely didn’t feel like a special dish, and I let Davin finish most of it.

For mains, I ordered the Unagi Bento which had grilled eel in a sweet soy sauce, sashimi, deep fried tofu, salad and steamed rice. The grilled eel was flavoured really well, the sashimi was super fresh just like the sashimi we had as part of our entree platter. The deep fried tofu was surprisingly cooked to perfection! It had that lovely crispiness to it on the outside and was complemented with a light sweet sauce. Overall it was a good bento box.

Davin ordered the Oyakodon which had grilled chicken fillet pieces with egg and onions in soya sauce on rice. Now we have to say that we have been quite fortunate to try the real deal when we were in Tokyo, and this traditional dish was SO good there. We weren’t of course expecting the Oyakodon to be at the level of our experience in Tokyo here at this restaurant, but hopefully it would have some resemblance of it.

Unfortunately we can’t say it had any resemblance to the dish. In fact when it came out, Davin almost called the staff back to say it looked like the wrong dish! Upon closer inspection it did have the chicken, egg and onions but it was presented very differently. The chicken was too sweet and overall the dish didn’t taste the best.

I also ordered a Saketini which is their Japanese version of a martini. However it tasted it a bit light and diluted to me so I probably wouldn’t order it again.

In conclusion, the experience was okay. We weren’t wowed by the experience but I guess if we were really craving Japanese and didn’t want to travel too far we would consider coming back here again.

Matsuzaka
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 809 Glen Huntly Rd, Caulfield VIC 3162
Phone: +61 3 9523 9904

Matsuzaka Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Second Wife

Putting the word ‘wife’ in any eatery is pretty brave, but naming a cafe ‘Second Wife’ is downright crazy! What were owners Semir Elmazi and Reiji Honour thinking when they came up with this name!?! Turns out this attention grabbing name derived from the fact that this was the second cafe they opened together, their first one being ‘Dosage’ located in Burwood.

Second Wife is located away from the hustle and bustle of all the other restaurants you may think of. It’s situated at a peculiar spot on Wellington Road in Box Hill. Helen and I visit Box Hill a bit but were both stumped as to where Wellington Road was! Out came ‘trusty’ Google maps, and if any of you detected sarcasm, Google maps screwed us over once again. I’ve been having a personal vendetta with Google maps lately, I don’t know what’s been going on with it. Lately it seems to have this amazing ability to take the longest way whilst inserting the most small streets in between. Helen has been trying to defend Google maps, but I think this latest incident may have swayed her to my side!

Leaving this feud aside, we soon found ourselves parting with $2.70 for an hour of street parking just outside Second Wife. Paying for parking has always been one of my pet hates, but their cafe is located within an apartment complex so totally understandable. I must admit that I was in a pretty bad mood, because I’ve been sick for the past week and my tolerance levels were at an all time low. Anything short of great service and I would have been TRIGGERED! I can happily say that the serving staff here were warm and friendly. Apart from running out of rice noodles, our orders were in and food was served without any hiccups.

Most things on the menu had either a Middle Eastern or Japanese influence. Helen got the Real Wife’s breakfast and I got the Japanese Bowl. Both dishes had a comprehensive list of ingredients and would cost a fortune to make at home! My Japanese bowl was very visually appealing. It was not just a pretty face, as it was also really tasty! All the ingredients worked well together but I always make the mistake of forgetting to eat the pickled ginger. The seared salmon tataki was cooked perfectly, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Helen didn’t want to share too much of her dish with me, but from what little I acquired, it was a pretty special dish. The combination of the really lightly fried eggplant, perfectly cooked eggs and the garlic labne made it a delicious dish. These dishes are certainly not ones you can readily find at any cafe, and it’s what sets these guys apart from the competition.

Mad props to Second Wife for coming up with a killer name and serving some killer food! They are without a doubt one of the better cafes I’ve been to at Box Hill, and I appreciate their healthy and tasty menu. Would we come back? Most certainly. We cannot wait to come back and try their other dishes!

Second Wife
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 8 Wellington Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128
Phone: +61 3 9973 9481

Second Wife Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Punch Lane

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We have been going to Punch Lane now for quite a number of years. It’s been one of our favourite go to places and one that we always recommend to people when asked for suggestions. Nestled on Little Bourke St in the CBD, Punch Lane is the ideal restaurant for an intimate first date.

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Upon entering you will step into a cosy, dim lit place with leather chairs and wooden decor. It gives you a very classy, European feel. Staff are extremely alert, efficient and friendly here so they’ll look after you straight away.  But of course we come back here time and time again because of the food! The quality of each dish is top notch and they have never disappointed us. The menu does change but some highlight dishes over a number of recent visits include this amazing cured salmon, twiced baked cheese soufflé, venison tartare, pan roasted scallops and their duck! They recreate their duck dish so it’s slightly different every time we go but still so delicious!

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Each dish is carefully and beautifully presented, and the flavour combinations of each dish is faultless. Nothing is ever too salty or too sweet. They offer a set menu of 5 courses where you can put yourself in their hands to feed you and give you a bit of a tour of their menu. They also have a great selection of wine and cheeses, if you can fit it in! Overall we highly recommend Punch Lane if you ever want an intimate setting for a date with fabulous food! You will definitely not be disappointed!

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Punch Lane
Approx $80 AUD per person
Address: 43 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9639 4944
Website: punchlane.com.au

Punch Lane Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Old Kingdom

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We went out with my family to try Old Kingdom at Surrey Hills. They have been a couple of times and had assured me that the Peking duck was better than our usual go to place.  Now here’s the thing.. I’ve noticed that my taste buds and my family’s have had some disagreements as of late, so I was a little skeptical to say the least. A food lover approaches food with an open mind, and if these guys are as good as my family says, I will admit so.

So we drove there and the first thing I noticed was that they didn’t seem to have designated parking. After much parking sign reading, we settled on a spot on the side street. A little bit of a walk doesn’t hurt when you’re full from Peking duck. We walked in and they were a lot bigger than I had thought, they were also PACKED! Not a bad effort for a weekday. It was hustling and bustling as the sound of loud Chinese chatter fills the air. It’s an environment I’m used to and caused no discomfort for me whatsoever, however I can understand if some people can get overwhelmed.

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We wasted no time to order but ran into a speed bump straight away! We wanted 4 ducks and the waitress insisted it was too much for 7 people! What is it with waiting staff doubting my eating abilities lately?!? I looked at her as if to say ‘C’mon… we got this”. I totally understand that they have our best interests at heart, but sometimes it’s just really annoying that I cannot get the food I’m asking for. We decided that we’ll just start off with 3 ducks and would have to prove her wrong later. FYI, we did have to get another duck afterwards, and we could have done 5 ducks easily!

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The pancakes, onions and cucumber were pretty standard quality. Not much to elaborate on here. The duck was pretty good… it was meaty and the skin was crispy. The meat around the leg area was succulent however the meat on the other sections are a tad dry. I also didn’t feel it had as good duck flavour as my regular place. The highlight of Old Kingdom was the plum sauce! Man oh man… it was the best plum sauce I’ve ever had! You know how in team sports, there’s individuals who carry the whole team… well this plum sauce did exactly that. I was blown away, and I think my family was getting annoyed with how much I was carrying on about the sauce. The soup was full of flavour and didn’t taste like those soups which keep getting topped up with water. The noodles was also good, but the egg noodles could have been crispier.

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It’s a vicious game in the Peking duck world, every component in the banquet gets assessed and scrutinised. Only the strongest make it through, and Old Kingdom are certainly one of the stronger ones in the game. I would recommend this place just for the plum sauce alone! We’ll be coming back for sure, just hope the staff recognises our faces and remembers that we eat like mini dinosaurs!

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Old Kingdom
Approx $35 AUD per person
Address: 683 Canterbury Rd, Surrey Hills VIC 3127
Phone: +61 3 9898 3343

Old Kingdom Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

White Mojo Plus+

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We’ve heard good things about this cafe in Glen Waverley for a while now so finally decided to check it out one weekend. Upon entering, the first thought that came to my mind was that this place was huge inside! Although there were plenty of tables, they were smart to maintain the spacious feel which I liked. The decor inside was white with pastel coloured chairs and lots of green plants, flowers and large, clear bulbs hanging from the roof, giving it a very elegant feel.

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We were greeted by a friendly staff member and placed on a waiting list however was called in within a few minutes and seated fairly quickly. During those few minutes we managed to snap a some photos of their donuts and cakes in the window.

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As soon as we were seated the staff member took our order of two lattes. We then perused the menu. Davin ordered the Mushroom Ragout which had seasonal mushroom, truffle oil dust, smoked almond and poached eggs on toast. This was really nice however my dish was the highlight. I ordered their award winning dish, the Double Cheese Chilli Scrambled Egg. The scrambled eggs had parmesan and chedder, smoked belly bacon, chilli mayo, toasted sweet corn and ink brioche. Oh my gosh, what a dish! The brioche bun was perfect and not overly sweet. The scrambled eggs were cooked just how I like it, still runny. With the melted cheeses and chilli mayo, they were top notch scrambled eggs. But the star of the dish was that smoked belly bacon. It was SO good! Soft, full of flavour but not too salty. It was really delicious.

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So we were really pleased with the food. However when we heard the table next to us following up on their coffees we realised that we hadn’t got our coffees either! Davin had already finished his meal and I only had a couple of bites left. It was really strange for coffees to take that long. Generally you would receive the coffees before the food arrives given it was the first thing we ordered. Then we also noticed that staff were bringing out coffees to tables that didn’t order coffee! There just seemed to be a lot of confusion around he coffee orders. Anyway just when I was about to follow up on our orders they finally came around with it, after we had literally cleared our plates. The coffee turned out to be really good. Perfect temperature and decently strong. If it wasn’t for the very long wait for the coffees we would have rated this place higher. However it has to be taken into consideration.

Overall the food was really delicious, the coffee was good and staff were really friendly. If you do order coffee though, expect a bit of a wait!

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White Mojo Plus+
Approx $30 AUD per person
Address: 83-85 Kingsway, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: +61 3 8522 2911
Website: www.whitemojo.com.au

White Mojo Plus+ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Perfect Drop

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Happy New Year everyone! We hope you had an awesome holiday and celebrated it just like how you wanted it. For us, we took a road trip and spent our NYE in Daylesford dining at an amazing restaurant called The Perfect Drop in our true foodie style!

As soon as we parked outside we were awed by how lovely and quaint the restaurant looked from the outside. I loved it! Inside it maintained that homey and intimate feel with a fireplace and tables scattered across a number of the rooms. The ambience was perfect.

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Staff were very efficient and attentive, seating us right away and providing us with the menu. Given it was NYE, it was a set menu of 7 courses and a glass of bubbly for $125 AUD per person. We started off with a zucchini veloute with almond foam. Basically it was like a soup in a small shot glass. It was a nice start to get our appetite going.

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Then came the quinoa and tomato salad in a vegetable soup with goats cheese mousse. All the flavours of this dish just bursted in our mouth and our taste buds were hyped!

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The scallop carpaccio dish came next, and this was certainly one of the highlight dishes for us. The fresh scallops sat on a bed of apple, celery and vanilla salad, with a scoop of oyster icecream on top. Yes you heard it! Oyster icecream! At this point we were thinking wow this place is brave. They were pushing the limits of ingredients and we loved it. The whole dish worked. The icecream really tasted like oyster and the sweetness of the apple salad balanced out the rest of the dish. It was a fantastic dish.

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The next course was the scampi with confit tomato in a bisque with red berry granita. The scampi was cooked to perfection and the tomato was so deliciously sweet. Combined with the bisque each bite was heaven. We could of have a lot more of it!

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The final main was the lamb loin and shoulder with ratatouille cannelloni and crispy mash. This was also a well thought out and delicious dish. Both the lamb loin and the shoulder was cooked beautifully medium rare. But I also really enjoyed the complements of the crispy mash and the ratatouille cannelloni which was so different but worked. They were both presented like little cigars with a surprise inside.

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Finally with dessert we were served a raspberry sangria with rosewater foam. This was served in a little glass and it was a nice little taster to prepare us for the main dessert.

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The final dish of the night was the chocolate sphere with salted caramel and passionfruit icecream. It was to die for and presented so beautifully. The sphere was made of lovely dark chocolate with delicious fresh cream inside. The passionfruit icecream also complemented it so well. We probably ate this dish too quickly because it was so good!

Well after the final dish, we both agreed that we really couldn’t fault this place at all. The food was spectacular and every dish amazed us. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience, from the food, to the ambience, to the service. So if you’re ever in Daylesford and you want to do some fine dining, check it out!

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The Perfect Drop
Approx $125 AUD per person
Address: 5 Howe St, Daylesford VIC 3460
Phone: +61 3 5348 1100
Website: theperfectdrop.com

Perfect Drop - Wine Bar & Food Lounge Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato